El Valenciano Restaurant & Bar

Great environment for novice salsa dancers. Big dance floor. Fun music. Bar and foods is a plus.

Looks like there's no recent reviews here, so it's my honor to drop the first one in two years. Came here for a bar outing (didn't try the food) on a late Saturday night with a pretty big group (mix of Asian, white, Latino). The vibes here are straight up weird and uncomfortable. Somehow simultaneously divey and snobby. (???)No COVID precautions whatsoever - early June 2021. No masks for staff or customers, no capacity limits, and ventilation is nonexistent. Literally and figuratively a hotspot. Security: The security guys are pretty nice. Quick, efficient, chill. Highlight of my night. Bar service: Slow. This is the kind of place where I'm pretty sure you get ignored for 20 minutes if your group is not mostly/all Latino. We tried ordering as a group and it took forever to be acknowledged. Then we got one of the Latino guys in our group to order for us solo and the service was night and day. So...yeah. Fun. Crowd: I sure love being mean mugged by aggressive stand-offish middle aged creeps. Here's a tip: If you like Asian girls, you should talk to them, not glare at the guys they're with. This is a bar that clearly did not want me or my group here, and I'm very ok returning the favor.

They should serve free water to people who pay an entrance fee to enter the dance floor. Wednesday the entrance fee is $15 and Tuesday it is $35 to do both the tango class and the dance practice after. I asked for a glass of water at the bar on Tuesday after paying $35 for just being there, and was refused! I was told a buy a tiny water bottle for another $3 instead... I would have needed four of those water bottles to keep dancing throughout the practice, which would have pushed the price for entrance-and-water to over $40, so I just left. It's ridiculous. All the other dance places provide water by either installing a drinking fountain, or by having a couple of water pitchers at the end of the bar or at a side table and a bunch of paper cups for self-serving. Otherwise, the dance teaches and the dance crowds are good. The water attitude of the establishment definitely does not make me want to buy any food or drinks from that bar, though. I was considering buying some food there, but forget it. There are plenty of good restaurants around Mission, if one is hungry or thirsty before or after the dancing..

This review applies to the Wednesday (mostly) on2 Salsa dance nights.Entry is $12-$15 these days. Beginner/intermediate classes are 9pm-10pm-ish, then social 10pm-1:30am or so. The dance snobs show up around an hour after, like most other scenes. :)This is basically THE weekly salsa option of the Bay. It's got a loyal community of dancers and the instructors are great too, so it's got a bit to offer for everyone.Yes there's bachata and a touch of chachacha playing, and yes you'll get your romantica early on, but later on the music trends latin jazz to let the advanced folks play.It's still ridiculously hot at the place, 6 years after the "AC had issues" (see my previous review 6 years ago haha)... I guess it's kinda an aesthetic at this point.

Went for the Bachata and Salsa class. It started an hour late but it was pretty good. The guy instructor whose name I don't know but reminds me of Fabiruchis, took the time to teach. Will definitely come back.

The next best thing for On2 salsa dancers outside New York. Go there after hours to dance, not to eat.

Downgraded to 2 star. It seems this place may go out of business soon. The bar no longer has a liquor license, and the floor seems to have gotten worse/ lack of Maintenace. Time to find another Wed Salsa venue..

Went in here with a friend on a 'rainy' Thursday evening and it was not the happening night that are usual here - however, they still had some great music playing and a couple (maybe practicing) on the huge dance floor. The bar is long and beautiful wood with real onyx then behind the bar was sharp with a huge wooden case that holds the Top Shelf liquor and they have something for everyone. Excellent selection of Tequilas, Scotch, Bourbons, Vodkas, and even Rums. Ricardo - The super cool bartender was entertaining and very interesting - he knows his tequila and we definitely agree - Patron is for Americans that don't really appreciate good Tequila - so if you read this and think Patron is good, go out and try another 100% Agave Tequila and you will love it. They carry Don Julio, Cazadores, Milagro and many others that are smooooooth and tasty.Oh - and it's a great pour for a reasonable price - can't beat that.

We brought a large party here for a dinner, and dancing after. We are a great group and definitely tipped beyond the service level. The food was great but the service was awkward. Once we were done, it felt like we were being rushed out even though they knew the plan was that we were bringing the party to the dance floor (which they seem to treat as a separate biz). We couldn't eat the cake at our table- they took it and away and set it up oddly in the hall where everyone had to pass to get to the dance floor, and bar, which made everyone feel even more awkward about eating it. They even relocated our carafes of sangria, but wouldn't allow our glasses.. so when I asked the bar for one, he responded with a white little Dixie cup you'd use in the bathroom. It was all around disappointing, and not worth much more comment. Net net- the dancing is serious business, the way the Mint is to karaoke. Don't go unless you're a semi pro, and if you go for dinner, the paella is great but not phenomenal enough to endure the clucking, ushering, and general weird service from this staff.

I give one start because the food was good and employees at night give me good service. I didn't like it because the music didn't make sense the dj over the place only if u request he did pretty good. I will never go back there because someone slap me on my butt so disgusting than men do that. I spoke to the manager and he was going to do his inspection. Le doy una estrella pxq la comida era buena y el servicio de meseras. No me gusto la música el dj mezclaba horrible solo si pedías lo q te gusta te complace bien. Yo nunca regresaré ahí porque un hombre me pego en mi nalga sin mi permiso asqueroso y hablé con el gerente espero q tenga mas cuidado .